--- title: "Heartbleed Advice for MSPs and the IRS Misses Windows XP Deadline: Weekly Roundup" description: "Unless you've been living underneath a rock for the past two weeks, you've no doubt heard about the panic that the Heartbleed bug has caused among Internet users. MSPs can assuage their customers' concerns by providing them the information they need. Here's the latest on Heartbleed and more data protection news from around the Web this week:" canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/heartbleed-advice-msps-and-irs-misses-windows-xp-deadline-weekly-roundup/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Heartbleed Advice for MSPs and the IRS Misses Windows XP Deadline: Weekly Roundup Unless you've been living underneath a rock for the past two weeks, you've no doubt heard about the panic that the Heartbleed bug has caused among Internet users. MSPs can assuage their customers' concerns by providing them the information they need. Here's the latest on Heartbleed and more data protection news from around the Web this week: [Try Now](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cloud/trial/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 3 min read Last updated 19 November 2022 Unless you've been living underneath a rock for the past two weeks, you've no doubt heard about the panic that the Heartbleed bug has caused among Internet users. MSPs can assuage their customers' concerns by providing them the information they need. Here's the latest on Heartbleed and more data protection news from around the Web this week: ### MSPs and Heartbleed: What Customers Need to Know The Internet bug Heartbleed has wreaked havoc since its disclosure last week, leaving many users worried about what it means for the security of their online data. Among those companies hoping to reassure their customers are MSPs. MSPMentor writer C.J. Arlotta offers MSPs this advice: "To ease their concerns, it's your duty as their trusted IT advisor to notify them of any potential flaws with the backup service you're leveraging to protect their data." Companies have notified their customers in several ways, including email and company blogs. Read more at MSPMentor ### Whoops! IRS Misses the Microsoft XP Expiration Deadline It turns out that even the Internal Revenue Service misses deadlines sometimes. This month, the IRS missed [Microsoft's April 8 deadline to migrate off of the Windows XP](http://subzeroblog.acronis.com/posts/end-days-windows-xp-9-steps-every-user-needs-know) operating system a week before Tax Day. As a result, the IRS had to negotiate for an extended support deal with Microsoft. The IRS will have to come up with $30 million this year in order to migrate its 110,000 Windows XP PCs to Windows 7 and was unable to do so in time for the April 8th deadline. The reason? Tight budgets. According to Computerworld, the IRS will pay Microsoft an estimated $11.6 million for extended XP support. Read more at CRN ### Backup: Is Encryption Really Unnecessary? Data backup and encryption are commonly recommended to all digital data producers, consumers and businesses alike. Without data backup, companies risk losing important information, and without encryption they are vulnerable to identity theft and hackers. However, is a costly encryption service necessary for most users? Not if users encrypt the correct drive, says PCWorld contributing editor Lincoln Spector. "If you’re worried about someone stealing your external drive and reading your sensitive files, you should also worry about someone stealing your PC and doing the same thing," says Spector. "And that means you need to encrypt your sensitive files on your internal drive. And if you pick the right tool for encrypting them there, the backup will be automatically encrypted." Read more at PCWorld ### The Promise of Cloud Technology for the Healthcare Industry As everyday activities become increasingly mobile, people rely more on smartphones, tablets and the cloud. The healthcare industry is no different, says Joseph Petro, senior vice president of healthcare research and development at Nuance, a healthcare technology company. That means physicians have a growing need for BYOD programs and on-the-go access to data. One way to meet this need is through Clinical Language Understanding technology (CLU), which is designed to help physicians access information faster through speech recognition and the vast amounts of data that can be stored in the cloud. "On the cutting edge of CLU’s application are virtual assistants, which use the cloud to enable dialogue between physicians and their clinical applications that uses meaningful information to enhance workflows and inform clinical decisions," explains Petro. Read more at Wired [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/cloud-vendor-buyers-guide-4-ways-make-choice-breeze/) [Cloud Vendor Buyer's Guide: 4 Ways to Make the Choice a Breeze](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/cloud-vendor-buyers-guide-4-ways-make-choice-breeze/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-msps-adapt-new-data-protection-buying-behavior-qa-gigaoms-ashar-baig/) [How MSPs Adapt to New Data Protection Buying Behavior: Q&A with Gigaom's Ashar Baig](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-msps-adapt-new-data-protection-buying-behavior-qa-gigaoms-ashar-baig/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read